Wildlife

Crabs, lobsters and shrimp

The Decapoda is an order of crustaceans which contains all the familiar species such as hermit crabs, lobsters and prawns. All the members of the group have ten legs, hence the scientific name (deca = ten, pod = foot). In many species the front pair of legs has a set of pincers on the end.

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Fossil types

Learn more about the other animals and plants that also form these fossils.

Exceptional preservation
Normally, only the hard parts of animals and plants - shell, bone, teeth and wood - are preserved as fossils. However, every now and then conditions permit the preservation of soft parts and create treasure houses of information for palaeontologists.